The Last Mission of a Konoha Trackernin
by Frib
Summary: One-shot about a Konoha Tracker-nin. He pursues Shikamaru who has become a missing-nin and must be killed...


**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto... (if I did I'd get better animators!)**

Ok, so it's my first one-shot... I just had this idea in my head...

Enjoy... read and review...

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**The Last Mission of a Konoha Tracker-nin**

I never thought I would ever be able to write in this scroll. I've taken this one long, empty scroll on every mission I've ever gone on. Every time I thought about why I brought it I would question my own reasoning. What would I be thinking while I was taking my last few breathes? What would I want to write if I were dying? As that's the situation I am now facing, I know now exactly what I'm going to write in this scroll.

My morning started out like any other. I wake just before the sun rises and check my bedside table instinctively. My mission is already there in an unmarked envelope. I sit on my bed and place my hand on the envelope; I do not want to open it yet. It has been so long since I have been forced to go on a mission. I can't remember the last time I was glad to see an envelope on my table.

I am a tracker-nin from Konoha; the only tracker-nin from Konoha. There are two reasons for this: 1) despite Konoha's size and power, very few ninja defect from the village; 2) I am very good at what I do. My sole purpose is to track down those few missing-nin and ensure that they die with the secrets they hold of their family and village. I live only to kill.

I pick up the envelope and hold it in my hands in front of me. Before I ever learn the identity of my newest target, I can never help but remember my last. I close my eyes and let the image of a tall boy with a bowl haircut and bushy eyebrows form in my mind: Rock Lee.

Lee was devastated by the loss of his sensei Mite Gai, but death has always been part of the life of a ninja. He blamed Kakashi for his death, but the Sixth Hokage had only sent Gai out because he was the best ninja suited for the job. No one will ever forget the night that Lee tried to assassinate the Hokage. He pushed Kakashi to his limits but he was unable to finish him; both survived and Lee escaped. Crushed by his failed attempt at revenge, Lee ran from the village. In his much weakened state, he did not put up much of a fight and he was dead before the sunrise. Konoha lost not one but three strong ninjas that night as Lee killed both Inuzuka Kiba and Akimichi Chouji on his path towards the Hokage. The two fallen ninjas' funerals were held together on the next morning; I was the only one not to attend. I was at Lee's funeral.

My eyes open to the envelope in my hands. The sun has just started to rise; its arrival is not welcomed. Slowly, I open the flap of the envelope and reach inside; there is only a sole paper inside. The paper has a large picture of my next target: a young man with long black hair pulled back and tied so that it sticks out behind him. It is not a bingo book entry, it is a ninja information card:

Name: Nara Shikamaru  
Age: 20  
Rank: ANBU Captain (Konoha)

Mission stats:  
D - 8  
C - 3  
B - 0  
A - 9  
S - 3

My eyes scan the information. I have heard of this young man before, but I do not know much about him and this information is very useful. He is a member of the Nara family, known users of the shadow binding techniques. This must make him a close range fighter and one who does not like to drag out battles as his family's techniques consume large amounts of chakra. His rank and missions tell me that he is no amateur. An ANBU captain and 3 S-ranked missions; this is going to be tough.

My eyes move down to the image below his information. A chart labeling his displayed ninja attributes gives even more insight to my target. Upon first sight, I admit I am not impressed. His ninjutsu is well above average, as it should be for one of his rank. His taijutsu and speed, however, are only average; and his power level and genjutsu knowledge are severely lacking. As I review the rest of his attributes I realize why he has survived so long on such dangerous missions: his intelligence attribute is as high as possible.

There have been only a few instances where I've seen an attribute maxed out on an information card. The first was on the Fourth Hokage's card where the seal knowledge attribute was maxed out. The second, on the card of the ill-fated Uzumaki Naruto, the power attribute was the highest possible. It is at this moment, as my mind groups my next target with the likes of the Fourth Hokage and Naruto, that I realize that this may be the day I write in this scroll.

Excuse my pause. Blood has started to slowly come out of my mouth and some managed to drip onto the scroll. I've managed wipe most of it off. I'm started to feel even more disoriented and my eyesight is almost gone. I have accepted my death and have conceded that it will be very soon. As such, I am going to skip the very long and boring part of my story. Believe me, you missed nothing too important.

I can sense his presence. He is somewhere near. The sun has started to set in the sky as I follow the information I have gathered towards Shikamaru. I am running down a road that has taken me out of the Fire Country and down into the Tea Country. The forest has turned into long fields of grass and tall stalks of grain that lean in the wind. There are many trees that scattered in the forest. The shadows they cast are very long; I realize I may be in trouble.

My mind tells me that someone of Shikamaru's intelligence will be traveling under some sort of cover. I know he is near, but he will not be easy to find. Just as I tell myself this, I believe the sun is playing tricks on my eyes. Walking down the path in front of me is Nara Shikamaru. He is walking calmly, almost strolling, with his hands in his pockets and his eyes up towards the sky. He seems to be at peace; whatever damnable act committed that caused him to become a missing-nin seems to be no where in his thoughts.

I dive into a tall field of grains. With much stealth I move quickly towards my target. I can hear his footsteps on the path; they stop. "I know you're there, you can come out…" His voice seemed tired. I freeze; I don't know what to do. He has discovered me, but instead of using that too his advantage he simply wants to draw me out of my hiding. With caution I step out of the field and into the path; he is only meters away from me.

His eyes remain up towards the sky as he turns to face me; hands still in his pockets. "I hope you understand that I know what your mission is." He did not seem to be talking to me but to the sky. I slowly reach back for a kunai. My hand grips my weapon as he continues, "I also hope you know that it doesn't matter to me who wins in this fight." His eyes never travel down to me.

We stand there on the path facing each other. The wind is blowing; the only sound being made is of grain bending in the wind. My curiosity overwhelms me, "Why do you walk so casually with no means of concealment?" I ask only because no such missing-nin I have hunted has done so. My grip around my weapon remains firm as I wait for him to either respond or attack.

"I knew they would send you." His words do not show any trace of fear. He finally looks down into my eyes; they are not scared but do not seem confident. "It was just too much bother to hide." As he stares at me I make my first move.

He seems to dodge the kunai with ease, but he remained standing in place. I jump back and wonder if what I saw actually happened? He did not dodge the kunai, it went through his body. Instantly, the realization of what is occurring hits me like a cold sweat. I see Shikamaru's shadow reaches the field of grain, but it does not rise up against side of the grain; it simply goes into the field.

IT'S A CLONE! My mind is torn between my understatement of my target's ability and relief with my own caution. From the grain in front of me come two kunai directed at the shadow clone I sent out. I see the clone disappear when hit, but this is only a distraction. I can't dodge whatever is coming towards me in my hiding spot so I try to block it. I am only able to block one of the two kunai thrown. The second pierces my right shoulder. How did he know I was here?

I pull the kunai from my shoulder and apply pressure to the wound to stop the bleeding. I have not made a sound. I know I need to move, but where? I am standing in a medium sized field of grain and my enemy knows where I am.

I peek out quickly at where Shikamaru's clone had once stood. The clone is gone, but I see Shikamaru running towards a large tree. I see his shadow and where it ends; this is my real target. Even if I took off now he would beat me to the tree and its shadow has already spread far along the ground. I time my kunai with his speed and throw two at his back; he dodges them without even turning.

I leave my hiding place just and run towards my target. My right shoulder is bleeding even more because I take my hand off of the wound as I run. Shikamaru reaches the base of the large tree and turns to face me. He is standing in its enormous shadow. I do not know how far his reach is so I stop several meters away from the tree's shadow. I am confident that if he tries to use his shadow techniques I will be fast enough to dodge them, even with my wound.

I wait, but Shikamaru does not attack. He kneels down on one leg and places his hands in an awkward position. The tip of each of his fingers is touching the tip of the same finger on the other hand and he turns them so his palms are facing up. I watch him in this stance with curiosity. His eyes are closed and he is not speaking; I do not doubt he knows exactly where I am.

Several tense moments of quiet have passed. The only noise I hear now is the sound of my own heart racing. This is new to me. My heart never races on missions; I have never been scared or nervous. I do not know exactly what this feeling is, but I know it's not fear. I will finish my mission; I have to. Shikamaru looks very calm.

"You are either very confident of your own skills or very stupid." Shikamura's eyes are still closed and he is still in his strange pose as he speaks to me. A strong gust of wind makes the tree sway slightly; its shadow comes extremely close to me. I do not move.

"I am very confident of my skills," I reply to him, "and I know that I will succeed in my mission. I must." I do not lie. I seem to be at a disadvantage in the situation, but I know I will succeed. The pain in my shoulder strikes and I apply my left hand to the wound.

Shikamaru opens his eyes and stands. His stance is one of confidence, "I do not care either way."

Even though this is the second time he has said this, his words surprise me. I do not show my surprise, but my curiosity gets the best of me. "You don't care if you live or die? What has happened to you that you do not care about your own life?"

I knew it was coming, but I didn't know it would be so well thought out. The shadow of the tree extends, but not directly at me. Instead, I watch helpless as the tree's shadow forms a large circle around my body; I can move freely but I cannot escape the circle. Shikamaru's voice sounds no different then before, "I don't think I am in any position to answer any questions."

Slowly, and I assume his actions are slowed to prevent overuse of chakra, the shadow circle closes in around me. I expected the circle to close in on me, and if it reaches me I'll be under my target's control. My hand signs are fast and I yell out, "Earth Style: Mud Prison." Walls of mud spring up around me and close just over my head. The enclosing shadow forms over my prison.

I've never been inside my own mud prison; it is dark. I am safe though; for the moment. I can safely predict his next attack, and my surroundings will most likely not protect me. I am correct as Shikamaru throws a kunai with an explosive tag that sticks to the mud. The explosion is not huge, but enough to demolish the mud prison and me. Well, that's if I were still standing inside of it and not behind my target.

I know he can feel the tip of my kunai against his throat and I'm sure he already knows how I managed to get behind him. "I think that I am now in a position to have my question answered." I press the tip of my weapon into his neck to ensure that my curiosity does not go unsatisfied.

I cannot see my target's eyes, but I know that they are focused on the hole where my mud prison once stood. "So be it…" is his only response; his voice has yet to show any emotion or change whatsoever. "I have grown tired of being a ninja. I am tired of living only to kill!" A small trickle of blood runs down his neck as for the first time Shikamaru shows anger in his voice.

There was a long silence that ensues. I have never had a target who had simply become disenchanted with being a ninja, but his words suddenly worry me; my free hand shakes. Living only to kill. That is my job; my specialty. Why does this scare me?

I try to regain my composure, "You kill only to ensure that you and your village survive and prosper." My shaking has caused a large amount of blood to travel down Shikamaru's neck, but he does not react to this. He starts to laugh, it's not an evil laugh but one that seems to say that he knew more than I did about the matter.

"That's what they tell you huh?" The sun can barely be seen over the fields of grass and grain as he speaks. "NO! Being a ninja means watching your closest friends die and killing people you are told to kill. People who may not deserve to die; people who do not even know that they will never see another day." His words are angry and full of spite. "That is the life of a ninja, and that is a life I don't want anymore."

The shaking of my hand ceases. "I understand exactly what you are saying." It is the only response I can muster and it is not a lie. Suddenly, I feel that he has spoken the words that I have been thinking inside my head for a long time. I live only to kill and I do not like it. "I feel the same way," I tell the back of his head. "But… this is the life we chose for ourselves. We are ninja and we must live with our choice." As much as I want to run, I know I need to finish my mission. I ready myself for the kill; this is always a tough moment.

Shikamaru's speed is almost too fast. Just as my kunai is forced into his neck, Shikamaru pulls his own kunai with his left hand and jams it backwards into my right thigh. The shock of the pain causes me to pull back on my kunai, leaving a long, deep gash along the side of my target's neck. Before I can look up I can hear the kunai flying towards me. I jump back away from the tree and out of the shadow just in time to see the kunai fly under my feet.

He has played his cards well. I am in mid air, I am vulnerable. I can see him in his stance and the shadow coming towards my falling body. I land just as the shadow jutsu reaches me, I am trapped. My body is his.

He stands, I stand. Shikamaru starts to slowly walk towards me and I am forced to follow his movements. We approach each other and pause facing one another. Behind him I can see the last bit of sunlight over the horizon. He has little time, but more than enough.

"You said you understood my words, tracker-nin," his words were soft, clearly contradicting the situation we are in. "Maybe then can understand now what I meant when I said it mattered not who the victor of this fight was." I realize that he has become disenchanted not only with being a ninja, but what he has been forced to live through. He doesn't care if he dies, but I doubt he will let me live now. "I know I cannot escape the fate of every ninja, but my death will not be at your hands." The sun is almost completely out of view.

My eyes can still move freely and they notice the shadows slowly crawling up my body. I feel them grip my neck and cut away my air supply. I am becoming very light headed. I feel the pain of the shadows breaking my legs, but I remain standing as Shikamaru has yet to move. My vision starts to become blurry and I can feel the first tinges of death approaching. Suddenly, intense pain shoots through my body as it falls straight down on my broken legs and then forward onto the floor. The sun has completely set.

Shikamaru walks towards me. He must have known he did not have the time to kill me so he broke my legs. I pick my head up and can barely see him pull a kunai from his pack, "NO!" I yell out. The pain in my legs is excruciating. "You said you were tired of killing." He pauses.

I put my head back down as opening my eyes also causes me pain now. The feeling of approaching death does not fade. I wait for my final moment; it does not come. I cannot see it, but I hear Shikamaru repack his weapon. "Tracker-nin, do not come after me again. It will only give me a reason to kill you." These are the last words I hear from him. These are the last words I hear from anyone.

I lie here now in the same spot that I fell. The moon is high in the sky and the wind is blowing softly. My hand can barely write these last words. I am extremely relieved that I have managed to finish my last story, but I know I will be dead within moments.

I wish my last words to be a message to anyone that finds this scroll: It was too late for me. I became disenchanted with being a ninja long ago, but I did nothing and it became part of my life that I could not escape, even if I wanted to. The life of a ninja is not one of joy or happiness, only of obedience and death. I pray that you who find this scroll understand that you must either accept these truths or do something about them.

If you choose to stay your path I have only one more message; more of a request. Do not pursue Shikamaru. He is not a threat to you or the village. His life as a ninja is over; he has suffered a fate worse than death…

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Hope you enjoyed... Shikamaru's awesome!!


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